West Africa: ECOWAS holds “extraordinary” security council session

Written by: Chloe Baldauf; Edited by: Luke Wagner

Yesterday, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held an “extraordinary ministerial session” to address the announced withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the long-standing regional bloc. President of the ECOWAS Commission H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, pleading for the group’s cohesion, asserted that “if there has ever been any time for ECOWAS to stay together, this is the time.”

During the meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, the Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel H.E. Leonardo Santos Simao emphasized the need for “a patient dialogue which is not obsessed to reach its end but to create space and enough time to continue to build a common future.” But Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are not interested in waiting any longer.

On Sunday, the three states announced their immediate exit from the regional union through their national television channels. ECOWAS was formally notified of the three junta-led countries’ decision on Monday through written notices. The joint statement accused ECOWAS of being “under the influence of foreign powers” and “[moving] away from the ideals of its founding fathers and Pan-Africanism.”

This departure follows ECOWAS’s ongoing policy of trade and economic sanctions against the junta-led countries that had undergone significant regime change due to military coups. This past November, the three departing nations formed a new security alliance called the Alliance of the Sahel States that Niger’s junta leader General Abdourahmane Tchiani described as a “path for sovereignty” for the countries.

On Wednesday, Mali announced that it would not abide by the ECOWAS treaty’s one-year withdrawal notice. Mali’s foreign ministry wrote in an online statement that, because ECOWAS’s sanctions violated its own treaty, “Mali is no longer bound by the deadline constraints mentioned in Article 91 of the Revised Treaty.”

Amid an increasingly tense election crisis in Senegal and dwindling public trust in ECOWAS, the regional group of nearly fifty years faces an uncertain future. Concerns fester over how the split will affect Russia’s deepening military ties with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger and the increased deployment of Russian Wagner Group troops in the region.

Chad: Putin’s Bid for Educational Diplomacy in Africa

Written by: Chloe Baldauf; Edited by: Luke Wagner

On Wednesday, Chad’s interim leader General Mahamat Idriss Deby met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin to discuss growing Russian-Chadian relations. During the talks, General Deby called the visit “history-making” and expressed his hopes to strengthen bilateral ties. 

In a transcript from the Kremlin website, Putin addressed the growth of “humanitarian ties” between the two countries, remarking that Moscow “doubled the quota” for Chadian students to study in Russia on scholarship and that he intends to double it again. Putin next spoke of growing interest in Russian education among young Chadians and affirmed Moscow’s intent to cooperate on the growth of educational opportunities.  

Educational diplomacy is commonly understood as a type of “soft diplomacy” that “builds mutually beneficial and reciprocal relationships between countries.” Russia has placed increasing emphasis on strengthening humanitarian ties through investment in Africa, which was a central topic at last year’s Russia-Africa Summit. 

At the last year’s summit, Putin declared his intent to “significantly increase” the number of African students in Russian higher education institutions. Specifically, he proposed building ties between sports universities and encouraging more student exchange. Putin also commented during the summit that Moscow sought deeper cooperation with Africa in the field of mass communications – starting with “the exchange of content [and] organization of training courses for media personnel and students.”  

Educational diplomacy in Africa has become an issue of significance in the diplomatic sphere recently. Luke Williams, Australia’s high commissioner, called education exchange “the bedrock” of Australia’s relations with Africa.  

As tensions brew in Chad over the legitimacy of current leader Deby’s interim presidency, it is unclear how growing Russian interest in Chad’s education sector will affect voter attitudes. If Deby manages to emerge victorious from the October election, it is likely that Russia will continue efforts to gain influence in the country as it strives toward great-power status at the expense of destabilization. 

Sierra Leone: Former President Koroma leaves country amid treason charges

Written by Chloe Baldauf; Edited by Luke Wagner

On Wednesday, the High Court of Sierra Leone approved ex-president Ernest Bai Koroma’s request for international travel to Nigeria due to un-specified medical reasons. The seventy-year-old president, who has been charged with four criminal offenses after allegedly conspiring to takedown the government during a failed coup attempt in November, has now been permitted to break his ongoing house-arrest to seek treatment.  

This development in Koroma’s trial comes less than two months after the failed coup attempt that took place on November 26, 2023. With tensions rising across the country—particularly in Freetown—since current president Julius Maada Bio’s reelection in June 2023, the incident was defined as an attempt to “overthrow a democratically elected government” by Information Minister Chernor Bah.  

President Bio announced that, although most of the individuals involved with the attempted coup had been arrested, the government aimed to prosecute all remaining coup-leaders. Earlier this month, Koroma was officially charged with treason for his alleged involvement in the November coup. 

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc that seeks to “promote economic integration,” has encouraged President Bio to approve Koroma’s departure to Nigeria.  

According to a Tuesday statement by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc that seeks to “promote economic integration,” the Nigerian government offered to temporarily host Koroma amid the pending trial. ECOWAS has encouraged President Bio to approve Koroma’s departure to Nigeria.  

Now, amid Koroma’s unspecified medical issues, the High Court has approved Koroma’s departure from the country. The swift change to Koroma’s travel abilities means the ex-president can stay in Nigeria for up to three months before coming back to Sierra Leone for the pending case in early March.  

On Thursday, President Bio addressed concerns that the charging of Koroma would fracture Sierra Leone’s political landscape by clarifying that Koroma’s trial is not intended to be a “political witch hunt” but rather “one aimed at unraveling the truth behind the events of November 26th, 2023.” If charged to the fullest extent of Sierra Leone’s criminal law, Koroma could face life in prison. 

Today, Koroma departed from Freetown, Sierra Leone on a Nigerian plane.